Brent Spiner

Brent Jay Spiner (born February 2, 1949) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television and movie series The Next Generation.

Biography

Early life

Brent was born to Jack and Sylvia Spiner in Houston, Texas. After Jack's death, Brent was adopted by Sylvia's second husband, Sol Mintz, whose surname he used between 1955 and 1975.

Spiner attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas, where he was influenced by drama teacher Cecil Pickett—the same drama teacher who coached such people as Cindy Pickett, Randy Quaid, Dennis Quaid, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl, and Thomas Schlamme. Spiner would become active on the Bellaire Speech Team; later, winning the national championship in dramatic interpretation. After attending the University of Houston and performing in local theatre there, Spiner moved to New York City, where he became a stage actor, performing in several Broadway and off-Broadway plays, most notably with the original cast of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George. At the same time, he also had a small part in the film Stardust Memories.

Career

In 1984, Spiner moved to Los Angeles, appearing in several pilots and made-for-tv movies. He played a recurring character on Night Court named Bob Wheeler, patriarch of a family of West Virginia hicks. In 1986, Spiner also made two appearances as characters in season 3 of the television show, Mama's Family: Mr. Conroy, and Billy Bob.

Spiner's first and only starring movie role was in Rent Control in 1984.

Since his success in Star Trek, he has also acted in film, including a notable role in the movie Independence Day. In 1991, he recorded an album of 1940s pop standards entitled Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back. He has since had guest appearances on Criminal Intent, Friends, Deadly Games, Mad About You, Gargoyles, Frasier, Joey, The Outer Limits, as well as movie roles in films such as Phenomenon, Dude, Where's My Car?, Out to Sea, Bigger Longer & Uncut, Geppetto, I Am Sam, Master of Disguise and The Aviator.

In 1997, Spiner returned to the Broadway stage, playing the leading role of John Adams in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of the musical 1776. His performance met with generally positive reviews, and the production was nominated for a Tony Award. A cast recording was released of the revival production.

In 2004, Spiner returned to the world of Star Trek when he appeared as Dr. Arik Soong, an ancestor of Data's creator Dr. Noonien Soong, whom he'd also played, in a three-episode story arc of Enterprise in "Borderland", "Cold Station 12", and "The Augments". He also briefly reprised the role of Data for the series, providing a voice-only cameo in the Enterprise finale, "These Are the Voyages...". Spiner also cameo'd in Joey playing himself. He had also guest-starred in Friends as the man who interviews Rachel for Gucci.

In 2005, Spiner began a role in a short-lived science-fiction television series, Threshold, that was cancelled on November 23, 2005.

Private Life

Spiner currently lives in Los Angeles. He maintains a high level of privacy about his personal life. He was married to Loree McBride some time around 1995. The couple have a son named Jackson who was born in 2002. He is not as active in the Star Trek convention scene as many of his co-stars, but he is nonetheless close to his Next Generation colleagues and counts Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden and LeVar Burton amongst his best friends.

Trivia

The 1997 documentary Trekkies included an interview with Spiner discussing a group of female fans who called themselves "Spiner Femmes." The documentary profiled Anne Murphy as an example of a Spiner Femme. Murphy kept several photo albums filled with pictures of Spiner and had bought a house specifically because it had a view overlooking Spiner's neighborhood.

Also in the Film, Brent tells his fans not to buy and send him things because "We (Star Trek Actors) Do Allright".

External links